1. Experimental Research on Nuclear Waste Disposal (ERNW) Radioactive Waste Management in France
Alexis BOURDEAUX, France
Wednesday 19/05/2010

2. National framework - Overview of national policy
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
Radioactive waste management
General principles set initially by the December 30th 1991 Waste Act (called as well Bataille law)
Later modified by the 2006 Planning Act on the sustainable management of radioactive materials and waste
National Plan for the management of radioactive materials and waste  considered as an important tool to improve radioactive waste management  issued at the beginning of 2007  notably based on the National Inventory of radioactive waste and recoverable materials issued by Andra
Decommissioning / dismantling
NO notion of “clearance threshold”, i.e. the levels of radioactivity below which the waste from nuclear activity can be disposed of as current waste without specific radioactive supervision 1

3. National framework - Overview of relevant institutions
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
ASN, the French Nuclear Safety Authority  independent administrative body since 2006
Andra, the National Radioactive Waste Management Agency, specific public agency since 1991 :  responsibility for the long-term management of radioactive waste produced in France,  operates waste repositories, defines the acceptance criteria for waste packages in these repositories and controls the quality of their production,  in charge of designing, siting, and building new disposal facilities,  keeps up to date the National inventory of radioactive waste and recoverable materials in France on a three-year basis
CEA, the French Atomic Energy Commission, created in 1945 :  R&D for the implementation of civilian nuclear activities (energy, industry, research and health) and to provide the necessary support to the development of National Defence activities (Nuclear deterrent forces)  since 2006, R&D either as an actor of the 2006 Planning Act or as support to Andra programme for some specific topics 2

4. Geographic location of waste – Main electronuclear sites
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
- 58 nuclear reactors under operation on different sites - Front-end of the fuel cycle : 31 - Back-end of the fuel cycle : 4 - Waste treatment or maintenance centres: 8 - R&D centres : Medical activities: Miscellaneous industrial activities: 42 - Research, production or experimentation centres of the nuclear deterrent forces: 11 - Defence sites: Storage and disposal facilities: 33
At the end of 2007 : 1,121 registered sites on which radioactive waste was located
More than 90% of the radioactivity from this waste concentrated on the sites of La Hague in the Manche district and of Marcoule in the Gard district 3

5. Geographic location of waste – Main research sites
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
- 58 nuclear reactors under operation on different sites - Front-end of the fuel cycle : 31 - Back-end of the fuel cycle : 4 - Waste treatment or maintenance centres: 8 - R&D centres : Medical activities: Miscellaneous industrial activities: 42 - Research, production or experimentation centres of the nuclear deterrent forces: 11 - Defence sites: Storage and disposal facilities: 33 4

6. Geographic location of waste Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
- 58 nuclear reactors under operation on different sites - Front-end of the fuel cycle : 31 - Back-end of the fuel cycle : 4 - Waste treatment or maintenance centres: 8 - R&D centres : Medical activities: Miscellaneous industrial activities: 42 - Research, production or experimentation centres of the nuclear deterrent forces: 11 - Defence sites: Storage and disposal facilities: 33 5

7. Geographic location of waste Main storage and disposal sites
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
- 58 nuclear reactors under operation on different sites - Front-end of the fuel cycle : 31 - Back-end of the fuel cycle : 4 - Waste treatment or maintenance centres: 8 - R&D centres : Medical activities: Miscellaneous industrial activities: 42 - Research, production or experimentation centres of the nuclear deterrent forces: 11 - Defence sites: Storage and disposal facilities: 33 6

8. Waste classification
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
Radiological risk can be assessed on the basis of two main parameters : the activity level and the half-life
Distinction between : 1) very-short-lived waste, short-lived waste and long- lived waste ; 2) very-low-, low-, intermediate- or high-level waste 7

9. Waste quantities
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
Volumes of radioactive waste, in storage or disposal facilities, at the end of 2007, in equivalent conditioned m3 8

10. Waste quantities
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
Distribution, at the end of 2007, of the volume of radioactive waste, by radioactive waste type, produced in France 
Distribution, at the end of 2007, of the level of radioactivity, by radioactive waste type, produced in France 9

11. Waste quantities
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
Forecast quantities of stocks of radioactive waste by the end of 2020 and 2030 including all sectors of activity
Based, in particular, on the hypothesis of continued nuclear power generation and on specific scenarios for each of the other activity sectors responsible for producing radioactive waste 10

12. Waste management strategies
CSTFA very-low-level waste repository
located at Morvilliers in the Aube district - commissioned in August expected operation duration : ~ 30 years + 30-year monitoring - superficy : 45 ha (of which 28,5 for storage) - overall capacity : 650,000 m3 - ~ 91,300 m3 of disposed waste (end of 2007) - operated by Andra - permanent staff : ~ 30 persons - siting & construction cost : 40M € - operational mean cost : 270 € / ton
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
Waste disposed of in special vaults excavated in a clay formation and protected by a synthetic membrane and, in the future, by a clay cover 11

13. Waste management strategies
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
Disposal cell at the CSTFA
Aerial view of the CSTFA 12

14. Waste management strategies
CSFMA low and intermediate-level waste repository
- located at Soulaines-Dhuis in the Aube district - commissioned in January expected operation duration : ~ 60 years year monitoring - superficy : 95 ha (of which 30 for storage) - overall capacity : 1,000,000 m3 - environmentally monitoring measures : 15,000 / year - operated by Andra - permanent staff : ~ 150 persons
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository 13

15. Waste management issues at national level
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
Low-level long-lived waste (LLW-LL) repository
70,000 m3 originating from chemical industry - 100,000 m3 of graphite waste with some (originating from the first generation of French graphite-gas reactors and being dismantled) - some 30,000 to 40,000 m3 more from disused sealed sources or bituminous waste
disposal concepts based on shallow disposal within a low-permeability clay host-formation at a depth varying from some 15 meters excavated from surface if the formation is outcropping (radium-bearing waste) or down to 200 meters through an underground installation if the formation is deeper (graphite waste)
currently : report assessing the suitability of possible sites to host such a disposal facility and final selection with 3 municipalities (out of 40)
disposal facility should be commissioned by 2019
in the meantime, the situation of the existing storage facilities, in term of safety, is under consideration 14

16. Waste management issues at national level
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
Low-level long-lived waste (LLW-LL) repository
Map showing the suitable areas according to their geology to site a LL-LLW shallow repository 15

17. Waste management issues at national level
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
High-level waste (HLW) and intermediate-level long-lived waste (ILW-LL) repository
Research and studies on this waste pursued according to the three following complementary venues : 1) Partitioning and transmutation of long-lived radioactive elements, in relation with the studies on the new generations of nuclear reactors : assessment in 2012, prototype installation set in operation before December 2020  French Atomic Energy Commission - CEA 2) Reversible disposal in deep geological formations : authorization by and facility set in operation by 2025  Andra 3) Storage : create new storage installations or modify existing ones to meet the needs, in particular in terms of capacity and lifespan at the latest in 2015
The specific “retrievability / reversibility” issue :  decided in 1998 when the creation and operation of an underground research laboratory at Bure (Meuse district) was authorized  retrievality : possibility of retrieving waste packages from their disposal cells  reversibility : flexibility in the repository construction and operation with the possibility of design evolution at all steps and notably includes the option of going backwards one or more steps, during the whole process of construction and operation 16

18. Waste management issues at national level
National framework - Overview of national policy - Overview of relevant institutions
Geographic location of waste - Main electronuclear sites - Main research sites - Main defence and nuclear deterrent forces sites - Main storage and disposal sites
Waste classification
Waste quantities
Waste management strategies - CSTFA - CSFMA
Waste management issues - LLW-LL repository - HLW and ILW-LL repository
Schematic diagram of the installations at the future HLW/ILW-LL repository 17

19. Thank you for your attention ! Any questions ?